Bika and Dirrell talk up WBC title rematch chances

Phil Jay 16/08/2014

WBC super-middleweight champion Sakio Bika puts his green belt on the line for the second time in succession against Anthony Dirrell on Saturday night as fans hope for a more entertaining bout than the first.

Bika and Dirrell engaged in a rather drab draw last December which has surprisingly led to a second helping, although both fighters believe that they did enough to take the victory first time around.

“The first fight with Dirrell, I started off a little too slow,” explained Bika, who makes the second defense of his title.

“For this fight I will try to show that I am the boss in the right from the beginning, and make him scared. I want to attack him relentlessly and prove to him that he doesn’t belong in the ring with me.

“I definitely feel that I won the first fight and everyone saw that. The body shot that he got on me was a low blow, it was a lucky punch. I kept on hitting him so hard and he couldn’t handle the pressure I was putting on him. I know that I won that fight.

“My biggest strength against Dirrell is that I am much stronger than him and I can handle all the pressure that is thrown my way. I am very strong and will pressure him constantly.”

Opponent Dirrell stated: “I expect to see nothing new or different from Bika – Bika is Bika. In the ring, he is who he is. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

“I thought I fought a good fight the first time, but I can do even better. I can box better and I can stick to the game plan better. He can’t touch me when I box. In fact, he can’t touch me no matter how I fight him,” he added.